Community decries environmental degradation

or residents of Ilupeju-Titun in Orile-Agege Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, death comes by installment. The old, young, male and female are up against one enemy- thick black smoke emanating from illicit activities of hoodlums who daily burn used tyres at the Gotan Kowa dumpsite in its neighbourhood.

The activity of these hoodlums had left many residents with various degrees of tract infections, ranging from asthma, bronchitis, and throat and lung cancer. Both young and old have become out patient at the nearby General Hospitals at Orile-Agege and Ikeja, while several private hospitals have their hands full dealing with cases of residents who suffer from respiratory infections.

Most houses around the area are blackened with smoke arising from the burning activity at the dumpsite. No resident could afford to put washed clothes and apparels out in the sun to dry. This is because such clothing material would be blackened by soot.

Opening up windows in the area for ventilation was a rarity, as such attempt is noted to be an invitation for one’s room to be invaded by smoke and open oneself to hazard.

About 10 streets that made up the Ilupeju Titun community have borne this dilemma for close to three years, but the case got worse over the last 16 months, as they alleged the hoodlums scaled up their trade and turned the dumpsite into a major depot for used tyres which were usually laid by and burnt for the purpose of extracting copper wire from them, a badly needed component in the electrical sector.

Most of those who spoke with this Correspondent when he visited the area have the same wish list: ‘flush out these hoodlums before we all perish.”

Olawale Kazeem, 38, said he and members of his family have been battling with respiratory ailment since February. Kazeem, a mechanic, said his wife and three year-old-child Olawale Jr have been in and out of the hospital for more times than he can remember. He added that it was when a doctor asked whether his child was usually exposed to any dust or smoke that it crossed his mind that the fume that envelopes their house daily is a potential health hazard.

Another community leader Chief Jamiu A. Jimoh said the community is becoming more helpless as none of those they have appealed to for help to curb the excesses of these hoodlums have risen to their aid.

He said: “We have written series of petitions to the Chairman Agbado Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), the Ministry of Environment and the state governor to help address the issue but the case seem to have defied any solution.

“We are left with the impression that these people are above the law and that we did not matter. The only thing close to any government’s interest was when a LASEPA official led an inspection team to the dumpsite. They came, saw the loads of used tyres ready to be burnt and took notes, but that is the end we ever got from them. They never got back to us and everybody has since gone back as if nothing was wrong.”

Jimoh continued: “The community has come short of resulting to physically confronting these hoodlums because of the need to preserve peace and security. But our youths are becoming restless and could resort to self help if government refuses to come to our aid soon. Everyone is coming down with respiratory sickness and we are all dying by installment. We have a right to life and we might take this right to the door steps of the dumpsite if we got no succour from the government.”

Jimoh said members of the community have found out that the men had been melting the tyres in order to extract copper wires which were later sold.

Another resident Otunba Adetola Odubela also expressed his frustration over the deadly fumes.

“When I moved into this neighbourhood, it was a quiet, peaceful and easily accessible place. We started experiencing this sad thing over three years ago. Then, it wasn’t this bad, but over the years, particularly since 2011, it began to get worse and right now, has become unbearable. The floor of my house are covered with thick black smoke, the paintings have been defaced by black smoke and I do not open my windows again because of the smoke.

“Few months ago, one of my neighbours had to travel out of the country to have throat surgery. Many of us are already carrying loads of carbon that are harmful in our system, yet the government seems not to bother. We have written series of protest letters. We are getting tired of waiting for a response,” Otunba Odebela said.

The Chairman of Ilupeju Titun Community Development Association Alhaji Yisa Ejalonibu said the community had invited the lawmaker representing the constituency in the Lagos State House of Assembly Hon. Yinka Ogundimu to come and see things for himself.

“When he came here last year, he went round the place, took pictures which he promised to take to his colleagues at the Lagos House of Assembly. He promised that something would be done about this menace. Sadly, nothing has been done till date.

“The fact is that we don’t even know what is going on anymore. Nobody seems to be interested in coming to our aid, which is why we decided to invite the media to help put our case again before the government. Our lives are being threatened by the activities of a few, whose economic activity is leaving a hail of health hazard on its immediate community.

“Few days ago, a national newspaper used a big picture of a cart pusher pushing a number of used tyres into the dumpsite under the caption dignity of labour. What the newspaper did not know is that the activities of the cart pusher would leave on its trail health implication for those of us who live close to the dumpsite.

“For a very long time we had been battling with the hazards of smell of waste water coming from the abattoir and lairage at Oko Oba. Now we are battling with another hazard of air pollution. From the air and the land, we are now being threatened and there seems to be nothing that is being done by those to whom we have all surrendered our mandate and sovereignty, to alleviate our suffering. This should not be, we want the government to step in and stop this unwholesome activity and assure us of the right to life,” Alhaji Ejalonibu further said.